1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a lever connector, for use in eco-friendly cars, such as hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles and the like, and in particular, for being capable of use for a power harness, which is used for large power transmission.
2. Description of the Related Art
In hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles and the like which have remarkably developed in recent years, a power harness, which is used for large power transmission for connection between devices, has at its one end a connector, which consists of two separate portions: a male connector portion with a male terminal and a first terminal housing accommodating that male terminal, and a female connector portion with a female terminal connected with the male terminal and a second terminal housing accommodating that female terminal (refer to JP-A-2009-070754, for example).
To facilitate attaching and detaching (mating and unmating) of the two connector portions (i.e., the male connector portion and the female connector portion) to and from each other, this connector is often provided with a lever structure (refer to JP patent No. 3070460 and JP patent No. 4075333, for example).
In recent years, such eco-friendly cars have been designed to reduce the weights of all parts thereof, to enhance the energy saving performance of the cars. As one effective means to reduce the weights of parts of the cars, it has been proposed to reduce the sizes of the parts.
For example, a technique as described below, which has been disclosed by JP patent No. 4037199, is known in the art.
JP patent No. 4037199 discloses an electrical connection structure, which is for connecting multiphase conductive member connecting terminals drawn out from a motor for driving the vehicle, and multiphase power line cable connecting terminals drawn out from an inverter for driving the motor. The technique used in the electrical connection structure disclosed by JP patent No. 4037199 is as follows: Each phase connecting terminal of the conductive member and each corresponding phase connecting terminal of the power line cable are overlapped, and isolating plates are disposed on opposite surfaces to the overlapped surfaces of the connecting terminals, respectively, and these overlapped connecting terminals and isolating plates are collectively fastened in an overlapping direction with a single bolt provided in a position to penetrate these overlapped connecting terminals and isolating plates.
That is, in the technique used in the electrical connection structure (herein referred to as “the stacked connection structure”) disclosed by JP patent No. 4037199, the single bolt is tightened in the overlapping direction (stacking direction), to collectively hold the multiplicity of contacts between the connecting terminals, which are the overlapped surfaces of the connecting terminals, and thereby fix the connecting terminals at the contacts therebetween, for electrical connections between the connecting terminals, respectively. This configuration disclosed by JP patent No. 4037199 is effective in easily ensuring size reduction, compared to the technique disclosed by JP-A-2009-070754, for example.
Refer to JP-A-2009-070754, JP patent Nos. 3070460, 4075333, and 4037199, for example.